Silence
by BloodyCrystal
Summary: A what if from episodes 107 and 108. What if the fight hadn't been interrupted by Kakashi? What if he had showed up one moment too late? Warning: character death.


**BloodyCrystal:** A what-if for my sister, since she was way, way, _way_ too persistent about this. I hope you're happy now, _baby_ sis.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you are about to see. I don't even own the what-if plot since my sister gave it to me.

**Warning:** Spoilers for episodes 107-108, and everything before then.

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Despite the horror of the situation, no one made any sound. They just stared at the tableau in front of them, the tragedy that they had been unable to stop. The living participants in the tableau were also silent, staring at the figure between them with horror-filled faces. Everyone's expression said the same thing: how could this have happened?

Naruto swallowed, hard, staring at the corpse of his teammate and crush, his hand still embedded in her stomach, the Rasengan meant for their third teammate having exploded on her. _No! I…I didn't mean for this…_ His mouth formed the words, but no sound passed his lips. The young shinobi could only stand there, contemplating the terrible act he had just committed.

Across the tableau from Naruto, Sasuke also stared at the corpse of their dead teammate. His hand clenched, almost involuntarily, from its spot through Sakura's chest, having been thrust through the kunoichi courtesy of the Chidori meant for Naruto. His attack, like Naruto's, had been stopped by Sakura's body when she had interrupted their "friendly spar," scared by how intense they had been getting.

Kakashi's visible eye was wide as he stared at his students' handiwork. He had been the one to teach Sasuke Chidori not that long ago, in order for him to pass the Chuunin exams, and Sasuke had attempted to use that very attack on one teammate only to have the other interfere. He had ignored those who told him Sasuke was too young, but this…This was proof that he had indeed been wrong to teach someone so young. He had not made sure that Sasuke was mature enough to handle being taught Chidori, and this was the price he paid.

And Sakura! If only he had trained her more, she might have been able to interfere in a better way, a way that wouldn't have gotten her killed. Hindsight told him that he had ignored the kunoichi's training, and that, had he been a more attentive teacher, he could have prepared her better, considering her near-perfect chakra control and quick-thinking intelligence.

Equally guilty, Jiraiya stared from his spot next to one of the hospital's two water towers. He had been the one to teach Naruto Rasengan, partially to get him to help find Tsunade and partially because Naruto was so similar to his favorite pupil from so long ago. He had also not made sure that Naruto was mature enough, and Tsunade's comment about that fact was haunting him now as he stared at Naruto's pink-haired "girlfriend."

Jiraiya had also been the only witness to the fight. If he had interfered earlier…but he had expected Kakashi to show up at any moment to save the day. He had also not counted on Sakura's interference, and had reacted to her moving chakra a moment too late, not even coming around from behind the water tower until the attacks had hit. If he hadn't waited for Kakashi, he could've stopped the tragedy in front of him. But he had been lazy, and followed the protocol that it was their sensei who needed to discipline them. And Sakura had died for that.

Ino slumped onto the roof she and her team had jumped onto in order to see what was going on at the hospital. She almost wished that they hadn't sensed the building chakra, or at least that they hadn't followed it to the source. She just couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her was true. There was no way that what appeared to have happened actually had. This was all just a dream, a very bad one, because Sakura couldn't be dead like this, because Team 7 was too close for that…Right?

Tsunade yanked Naruto's hand out of Sakura's stomach and Sasuke's out of her chest, throwing Sasuke at Kotetsu and Naruto at Izumo. Shizune caught Sakura's body and gently lowered it to the ground as Kotetsu and Izumo restrained Sasuke and Naruto. Tsunade knelt down, checking the corpse over completely, before she turned to the ninja, hospital staff, and other villagers who had sensed the two chakras rising and the one chakra fall, or who had seen ninja heading in the hospital's direction. Assuming the "Hokage voice," she addressed those gathered, uttering the first sound since the tableau had first been seen: "Genin Haruno Sakura died when Uchiha Sasuke's Chidori and Uzumaki Naruto's Rasengan entered her body _at the same time_."

And with that, the barrier of silence was broken, and ragged sobs and screams echoed throughout all of Konoha.

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**BloodyCrystal:** There it is. And, before you ask, this isn't meant to bash anyone, because I hate bashing; it's a horrible practice. This is simply meant as one way that a what-if train of thought can go. I hope that you enjoyed it.


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